Appu Bakers

Early mornings are the main thing here at Maraimalai Adigal Street. I usually get to the shop while it is still dark outside. The street is quiet then, but the kitchen is already warm because of the ovens. We started Appu Bakers because we wanted something local for the people living nearby. It is a small shop at number 10, nothing too big or flashy. We mostly make white bread, some sweet buns, and those little biscuits everyone likes with tea. Sometimes the dough doesn't rise exactly how I want it if the weather is too humid, but that's just baking for you. My hands are usually covered in flour by eight in the morning. We have a glass counter that gets fingerprints on it all day long from kids looking at the cream cakes. It's a lot of standing on your feet and moving trays around. We don't have a big team, just a couple of us who know the routine. When the school nearby lets out, the place gets really crowded for an hour. We try to keep things fresh, so whatever we bake in the morning is usually gone by the time we lock up at night. The smell of the bread reaches halfway down the block on most days. It’s hard work and the heat from the ovens is tough in the summer, but we like being part of this street and seeing the same faces every day.